An installation of the aforesaid type for the combined production of electrical and thermal energy comprising a plurality of modular power plants, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,311 in the name of the same Applicant and of the Societa Ercole Marelli & C. S.p.A. This known installation is further provided with a control and protection system comprising a plurality of control modules each connected to a respective power plant and a central unit connected to the control modules. The central unit controls the operation of the individual power plants by means of control signals fed to the individual control modules, on the basis of information signals provided by the control modules relating to the operational conditions of each individual power plant.
In the installation described and illustrated in the said U.S. Patent the control modules are physically distinct and separate from the power plants respectively associated therewith. The central unit is similarly distinct and separate from the control modules. This necessarily involves complicated and laborious assembly operations for the entire installation which involves not inconsiderable losses of time for making the connections of the power plants to their respective control modules and the connection of these latter together and to the central unit.
Although the installation illustrated in the aforesaid U.S. Patent has a modular structure which can be made up by the interconnection of a limited number of basic units (modular power plants, control modules and central unit) it is, however, desirable further to reduce the number of these basic units, if possible, so as to provide a single basic unit which is able to operate independently or to be interconnected with any desired number of other identical units to form installations with widely different power and performance ratings as needed.
A further disadvantage of the installation according to the aforesaid U.S. Patent lies in the fact that the central unit operates constantly and this results in considerable overworking of its circuit components and consequently to frequent maintenance and/or repairs.
The object of the present invention is to provide a power plant for the combined production of electrical and thermal energy which can be used alone, or in a coordinated manner together with other identical power plants to form an installation of greater power without the need to use and to connect further units or control modules and which is thus simpler and quicker to assemble.